For those aspiring to be modelers and texture artists down the road...

[Rolke]

I was wondering (and this goes out to all the texture artists on the team).  Do any of you guys use programs that allow realtime editing of textures on your models?  Or do you just use UV snapshots and use it as a reference layer in photoshop?  I've been interested in finding out of some of these 3d texture programs are worth a hoot or if it isn't really any faster/easier than doing it with photoshop?

Next, this question goes out to the modelers on the team.  (I'm assuming that all you guys go from reference art and model a low-res version in 3dsmax/Maya first) When you guys move from low-res models to high-res do you do it in 3dsmax/Maya or do you move it over to a program such as mudbox or zbrush?  I've learned a decent amount of mudbox and have been curious to know if zbrush is much better (tool wise) or maybe faster?  anyway, send me a pm or just post here.  Thank you guys so much, you have no idea how helpful some of you have been! =D

[PanzerBoxb]

I am pretty sure that the team uses separate texture maps created by UVwrap techniques.

[KorJax]

I'm not a modeller but I'm pretty sure most people's process when creating models is to start with a high poly, then create a low poly from that.

I could be wrong here but for game purposes the high poly is used for creating the normal maps in the end.  What you see in-game would be the low poly model, with the normal map on it so it gives the illusion that it's high poly.

[Skydance]

Yeah, I always build the high-poly first and bake onto a low-poly. Easier to figure out what's going to bake onto what when you've got all the detail there.

Texturing, I just save the UV map out and paint it up in Photoshop. You can bake textures from procedural shaders in Maya (my main tool, for now) and work from that, but I prefer just painting it all by hand, preferably using a tablet. Unfortunately, the only one I have is an old Wacom ArtPad II from 1996, and my machine doesn't have a serial port anymore, so I'm stuck using a mouse.

You can actually paint directly onto the model, but I find the tools in Maya are too crude to do a good job there. I think many creature designers are using ZBrush to do exactly that (not sure though, I haven't researched what ZBrush does). For vehicles I find Photoshop works just fine though.

When it comes to reference art, I personally prefer to sketch out some orthographic drawings of the model myself, based on any reference I could find. This gives me a feel for the overall proportions of the beast, and lets me make decisions on what I have to do to get it to work in 3D. The Corsair, as an example, needed a folding ventral fin for the landing gear to make sense - I don't think the original design had landing in mind.

[(TLL)KitLightning]

Yep Skydance is on the right track... And I can barely not step in the same footsteps!

As a 3DS max user, I build the LowPoly model first, freeze it (via the Layer function), and build the HighPoly above it. Take the HighPoly and unwrap the UVW, export the UVW-map with Texporter, paint it in Photoshop. For normal maps, there is an Nvidia Plugin to PS that can make it instantly via the texture map. But using 3DS you´ll have the .dds reader for that too.
ZBrush 3 entirely skips the UVW mapping process (of 3DS/Maya), that you can paint directly on the HighPoly model, but it takes alot of practice. And it is intergrateable with PS and it´s layer functions.

Thou you might invest in the new Photoshop CS4, where you can import 3D objects and paint it directly in PS. (This entirely skips any other warez than your favoured 3D and Photoshop .)

And it is a very good thing to sketch out the model on paper first, that you will get a better feel of how to model it afterwards.

And there is alot of helpfull sites floating somewhere, too...

[edit= ill-typed url]

[Skydance]

Thou you might invest in the new Photoshop CS4, where you can import 3D objects and paint it directly in PS.

Seriously? That's awesome. I'm going to have to see about an upgrade... well, I would if I could afford it.

[(TLL)KitLightning]

  That I will have to give you right in, 100%. Adobe has the last few years been steadily increasing in both the companies expantion and *argh* the pricetag on their warez! Glad you liked the news!

[Rolke]

Photoshop with texturing on a 3d surface!?    I think I'm going to need a moment....    yup, just wet my pants.  I will definitely be looking into that within the next day. 

[Defender]

Yep Skydance is on the right track... And I can barely not step in the same footsteps!

As a 3DS max user, I build the LowPoly model first, freeze it (via the Layer function), and build the HighPoly above it. Take the HighPoly and unwrap the UVW, export the UVW-map with Texporter, paint it in Photoshop. For normal maps, there is an Nvidia Plugin to PS that can make it instantly via the texture map. But using 3DS you´ll have the [http://download.nvidia.com/developer/NVTextureSuite/3DS_Max_DDS_Plugin_1.0.0827.1100.exe].dds reader[/url] for that too.
ZBrush 3 entirely skips the UVW mapping process (of 3DS/Maya), that you can paint directly on the HighPoly model, but it takes alot of practice. And it is intergrateable with PS and it´s layer functions.

Thou you might invest in the new Photoshop CS4, where you can import 3D objects and paint it directly in PS. (This entirely skips any other warez than your favoured 3D and Photoshop .)

And it is a very good thing to sketch out the model on paper first, that you will get a better feel of how to model it afterwards.

And there is alot of helpfull sites floating somewhere, too...

I'm with you, I usually start with the low-poly and get as much detail out of it as I can.

Also, in terms of Zbrush, yes, you don't need UV's per-say since Zbrush has an auto-UV feature but also note that if you want to touch it up outside of Zbrush or even paint efficiently IN Zbrush you should still UV map it in your program of choice. I found that out the hard way working on a project at work. At first I was like ahhh screw UV's, Zbrush has it covered...then I realized the err of my ways and to properly export your maps like displace, normal and so forth it was always best to UV it first so you could paint, then tweak.

[(TLL)KitLightning]

Thanks Defender! You´re more than correct, it is a (argh) nessecity to make the UVW map regardless. That it has alot of other functions on the 3D model too. /tips me hat

I need to make some small corrections to the above thou, the file that has to go inside Photoshop should be Photoshop_Plugins_8.23.1101.1715.exe, it installs itself in PS not as the previous (and older) version (I err posted) that needs guidance .

[Rolke]

I think I'm going to see if I can give zbrush a try to see which I like better (mudbox or zbrush).  Anyone know of any particularly good zbrush tutorial sites that they have used?  or maybe a good book that I could read from barnes & nobles.

[(TLL)KitLightning]

helpfull site(s)
piologic.com (call it home of zbrush)
3dlinks.com
digitaltutors.com
creative-3d.net
highend3d.com
zbrushtutorials.com
pixel2life.com
3dtotal.com
southerngfx.co.uk
tutsbuzz.com

The books on ZBrush is all at B&N, start from the top (or cheaper at Amazon). Thou a good book to read might be ... hmm Figments of Reality perhaps ... nah! better stick with what I know is real and logical.

[Decency]

The new version of Mudbox has texture painting too, although I don't really know how it compares to Zbrush.  I haven't really seen much mechanical stuff painted in either of these, seems to always be photoshop.